Images: Ice-cool Cook emerges from dark days to deliver

Aggressive Cook secures his place in the squad

England opener Alastair Cook's 438 runs in three innings has made him the dominant player of the Ashes series so far, making it hard to believe that 14 weeks ago he was fighting for his place in the team.

Cook, who has scored 67, 235 not out and 136 not out to help rescue a draw in the first Ashes Test and take control of the second, had managed just 106 runs in eight innings going into the third Test against Pakistan in late August.

The 25-year-old left-hander's response was to score an uncharacteristically aggressive century at the Oval and pretty much secure his place in the touring party.

Image: Alistair Cook acknowledges the crowd after scoring a century on SaturdayPhotographs: Reuters

'Having Gooch around helps'

Cook conceded that during the slump he had wondered whether the runs would ever return but having former England captain and opener Graham Gooch as batting coach was a bonus.

"You do have those dark thoughts," he said. "But having Goochy around helps, he knows what it's all about being an opening batter.

"The opening bowler is paid to get you out. Some days he does get you out. When you get the conditions like they were today, it's important to cash in."

Cook has now batted in all but 11.2 overs of the two Ashes Tests so far, a gruelling schedule even if the temperatures at the Adelaide had not hit 37 degrees Celsius as he batted through the day on Saturday.

'It's the hottest conditions I've batted in'

"At tea, I was really tired," he said. "It was up there with the hottest conditions I've batted in. It was physically quite hard after last week as well.

"I'm quite lucky in that I don't sweat that much, though. I just used one pair of gloves all day while Kevin (Pietersen) was changing his every three overs. I'm built so I don't really get that hot or sweat that much."

Cook has now batted for more than 20 hours over the two Tests but maintaining concentration is all part of the opener's art.